Aftermath
by SM17
Summary: Andy is back from Dakota and things have changed...story based on recent promos. So read and please review. Let me know what you think. I don't own Rookie Blue!
1. Chapter 1

**I watched the promo that was recently released and my mind kept thinking up all the possible scenarios for Season 4. So I ran with it and decided to write my interpretation. This is purely from my imagination. This chapter is from Andy's POV. Enjoy and please do let me know what you think.**

**Andy**

A lot can happen in six months. No one should ever expect things to stay the same. I've learned a lot in the past six months and some of it has changed me. It's not easy being away from your friends and family for six months, especially when you can't even pick up the phone to let them know you're ok or to tell them not to worry.

When you're undercover you become immersed into this new life, you have to become someone else. It's like being an actor or actress, you get to play at being someone else and you get to do this away from everyone you know which can be a good thing. It gives you time to get your life in perspective and take a step back to review what has been going in one's life. I wasn't supposed to be a part of this undercover operation but it happened at the right time and it was what I needed.

Project Dakota is almost coming to an end and it'll be time to head back to reality soon. I'm dreading this in a big way, it may have been a cold thing to do but I left Sam hanging. In my heart I really wanted to take even a minute to say good-bye and let him know I was going undercover but in my head I knew this was what I needed to do. I wanted to go without anything holding me back.

Our undercover house is right by the marina, so it not a hell hole. As undercover roles go this one is pretty sweet. Nick and I are cousins who are successful "entrepreneurs" with money to waste and looking for a good time. We have some new associates who are pretty horrible people and we've managed to gather a great deal of information and evidence. These people are pretty much into everything which is trafficking of drugs, people and weapons. But on the outside they look like people just enjoying their waterfront properties and living an average but fun life. We've managed to get pretty close to a few of them and we've become trusted associates. These past six months have involved us transporting drugs into Canada from the U.S and Mexico. We've seen the human trafficking side but haven't been allowed near that sector. We've managed to collect all kinds of evidence and this should be a major bust.

Our handlers are pretty satisfied with what we gathered so far and think this assignment should be coming to a close pretty soon. But we need to figure out who is running this whole operation before we can make arrests.

The big boss is supposed to be flying in for some big party in the next day or so, and we finally get to meet him.

Having Nick with me for the past six months has really helped. He's become one of my best friends. I've always been a bit of a tomboy but never had a guy for a best friend. He's helped me get through these past few months. If I had to pick anyone from 15 to work with on an undercover op it would be Nick and so I got really lucky that he's one Luke picked. He's steady and calm under pressure and he believes in me. We trust each other completely and I know I can rely on him to watch my back. I really love the guy and think that Gail is pretty lucky to have him in her life.

So here I am on a beautiful day relaxing for once. Nick and I decided to go sailing, we had no surveillance work to do and pretty much have the day free. One of our new "acquaintances" let us borrow his boat for the morning. It's a warm day so I pulled on a pair of shorts and t-shirt over a red and white striped bikini. I'm hoping to get a swim in before we attend a gathering at one of our associate's restaurants.

I grabbed a towel along with my undercover cell phone and head to Nick's room to knock and tell him to hurry up. I don't want to waste a minute of this day, it's the first free day I've had in a really long time.

"Hurry it up Nick! I don't want to waste a minute of this day. "I yell as I knock on his door.

The door swings open and Nick comes out in a t-shirt and shorts with a towel in hand.

"There's no hurry Andy, we're free until this evening" Nick says as he walks towards the front door.

We get to the marina and Gary (said acquaintance) is waiting for us with a huge smile and says "I see someone around here is smart enough to take advantage of this gorgeous weather"

We spent the next few hours just idling around on the water and I managed to get in a swim. We get back on the docks and decide to grab an early lunch at this place around the corner. I'm really hungry, especially since we missed breakfast. As we walk to the café I stop Nick and say "You know we're almost done right and soon we gotta get back to the real world. I'm feeling kinda nervous here"

"I know you're not ready but I can't wait to get back and let Gail kill me. I really miss her. I know...You love me! And you enjoy spending all this time with me! but Andy but I'm tired of having you be the only familiar face around here" Nick says laughingly

"Glad you're so confident that I actually love you" I reply back

"Don't worry so much, just relax for today and focus on getting this job done" Nick says and starts walking again.

After lunch Nick and I head back to the cover house. I have to admit it really is beautiful. As we're about to open the front door Nick gets a call from Connor, another one of our new associates. He is not a nice guy and is a hot head who acts without thinking most of the time. I can hear him cursing and screaming through the phone and Nick does not look happy. Once he hangs up I ask what that was all about.

"Connor wants us to go by his place right now. He's ranting and raving about some missing weapons shipment and how we better get our asses over there right now to explain how the hell this could have happened." Nick says and he pulls me in the direction of Connor's place. He lives about a street over from the cover house.

"Wait why is he calling us about this? Why does he think we have anything to do with it? You think he suspect us? I know no one from our operation hasn't made any arrests yet or detained any of their shipment."

"We'll find out when we get there but for now just text Jon about what's happening and where we're headed. We just need to deal with this calmly and just see what he's got to say. It's not like we did have anything to do with this missing shipment."

I text our handler Jon and then quickly delete the texts to him. I know there's a team keeping watch out for us, so we're covered for backup. I take a deep breath as we reach Connor's door and knock quickly. An angry Connor opens the door and says "Get your asses in here"

We see that James and Dave, two more associates are already there. James is another new guy to the crew; he came along after we did. Dave has been a major player in this crew and is one of the leaders of the organization. He runs a restaurant, which he uses to clean the dirty money. He's calmly leaning against one of the walls. Connor is another major player, he handles all the merchandise whether its people, drugs or weapons. He also deals with the transportation since he owns a trucking company. Dave may be mild looking but he packs a punch. We've seen him in action and know even though he's quiet, not to underestimate him.

James is seated at the big piano that sits in the room. He doesn't look worried one bit and I'm betting he's the one responsible for the missing shipment.

Connor starts yelling about one of us stole the missing shipment which is worth over $1.5 million and he screaming that we're all dead when the big boss gets here in a few days.

"Look we have no idea what shipment you're talking about. You said a weapons shipment but we've been taking care of the drug shipments for you. So man it's not us. I don't know why you called us here." Nick explains.

Connor then turns around and walks up to James. He gets in James' face, grabs him up by the collar, asking "It was you wasn't it? You greedy shit."

He drops him back down and starts pacing back and forth. He then all of sudden reaches for the gun sitting by the window and points it at James say" I'm gonna blow you away you piece of shit. You think you can steal from us and get away with it? You want to see things get messy?"

"Ah easy" Nick says stepping towards Connor.

Connor turned around and just cold-cocked Nick in the head.

All I could do was gasp and then yell at Connor asking "what the hell do you think you're doing."

I run over to where Nick lays on the ground. He's bleeding so I quickly grab a towel that's lying on the couch and press it into the wound.

I can hear Dave yelling at Connor as James comes over to help. I tell him to run and get the first aid kit which sits in the kitchen.

Nick comes to as we clean the wound and realizes it's not as bad as it first looked. We put two butterfly Band-Aids over the cut and help Nick sit up.

I look up to see Connor pacing out on his back deck and Dave heads back towards where we're standing.

He asks "Nick you ok? I'm sorry about Connor. Sometimes he's such an idiot. He doesn't think before he acts. But he is right and a weapons shipment has gone missing. You three are the only ones who could have taken it. You're the three newest members and ones we least know. Connor is right that someone's head is gonna roll. We're still meeting at the restaurant tonight but the Boss will be there so better be prepared to answer some questions"

"Nick and I have nothing to do with this. We didn't even know about the shipment" I say.

"Doesn't matter! You guys still had access to the information. And let's just say we have reason to be suspicious of you two. So better be there tonight."

James and I help Nick out the door. Once outside Nick stands on his own. He turns to James and says "You stupid shit. You did this and we better not get in trouble for your stupidity"

With that Nick pulled me by the arm to head back to our place. I can feel anger radiating from Nick.

"I'm worried Nick. We had nothing to do with this and I don't want our cover to get blown"

"Don't worry. After tonight our op will be finished. We just needed to figure out who the big boss was to close out and he'll be there tonight. Text Jon and tell him that the big guy will be there, let him know time and place. We're gonna need all the backup we can get tonight. We'll keep him updated from now until meeting time. We probably should get wired."

I open the door to our cover place and ask Nick if he wants an aspirin. I grab him one from the bathroom. He swallows it and says he going to go lay down for a while. The whole house is wired so whatever we say the rest of the members of our team will hear. This usually prevents Nick and I from having any private conversations. Sometimes when we go out we're wired as well but we don't do that often just in case some of the people we're investigating decide to search us.

I head to take a shower since I'm still in my bathing suit and I feeling a little gritty. When I finish with the shower I check on Nick and see that he's sound asleep. I don't know if that's a good thing with a head injury. So I wake up him quickly and check his pupils. They look ok to me and I let him go back to sleep.

I'm bored so I decide to watch some TV. We have close to five hours till our evening meeting and I haven't gotten a response back from Jon yet. I stick my phone between me and the sofa cushions and get comfortable.

I must have fallen asleep because I'm startled by the sound of glass breaking. I wonder if Nick dropped a glass in the kitchen. I call out to him as I get up from the couch. As I head to the kitchen I see a shadow moving along the hallway. I left my gun in my room and my phone is still in between the cushions. All of a sudden I feel movement behind me and as I turn around to see what it is I see a hand come down and all I feel is pain and then total darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope everyone liked the first chapter. Don't think it's my best story but I needed to get this written to let out my anxiety about Season 4. Read and Please review. I enjoy getting feedback and I take criticism well.**

**Sam**

Life can change in a matter of a few months. A life will be lost while a new one is brought into this world. I lost one of my best friends and soon after two of my good friends had a baby girl.

There have been moments of deep sorrow where I felt it swallowing me up and moments when seeing the smile of Noelle and Frank's daughter made me smile and realize life does go on.

We're all cops and know that we put our lives on the line every time we come to work but I don't think any of us expected it to be someone we were close to, someone we hung out with most nights after work.

Jerry's death hit me hard, the guy had everything going for him, a beautiful fiancée who he was going to build a family with and a job he loved. His life shouldn't have ended so quickly.

His death brought anger, hurt and sorrow which led me to pushing Andy away and breaking a promise. I turned my back on her when she needed me and now that's regret I won't ever be able to get over. I was so angry about Jerry and I needed to blame someone and Andy was the easiest to blame. I think I blamed her since I didn't want to face my own guilt.

Almost losing Andy to a bomb made me realize how much I loved her but it was too late. I waited too long to let her know how I felt, Andy left without a world to take part in Callahan's undercover op.

I sat at the Penny that night, with a small amount of hope in my heart that she would show up. I waited 3 hours before heading home. I figured I'd try again the next day with Andy. I wasn't planning on giving up until she finally gave me a second change. Peck waited with me since Collins apparently stood her up as well. That kid is growing on me, she's got a tough exterior but then again she's got a lot to live up to and she's had some rough patches lately.

It wasn't until the next morning I found out the reason her and Collins hadn't shown up at the Penny. I'm resigned to accept what Andy had done, Peck was another story, she was understandably upset and I think really hurt. I deserved what Andy did to me but Peck didn't. Collins left her when she most needed someone. She's been walking around with a hidden rage and deep sadness in her eyes. I got stinking drunk the first few days but that's not the path I wanna head down.

To be honest, I didn't expect Andy to forgive me or give me another chance. I let her down and hurt her far more than Callahan ever did. She'd have left me a note or given me a quick phone call if there was still hope for us. Her leaving without a word has made me realize, there is no going back with us.

This all has made me realize it's time for me to make changes in my life. I think I've loved Andy for a long time but I'm not good at expressing my feelings. I left it too late to express those feelings. These past few years have been about me wanting to be with Andy even at the expense of my own career. This hasn't gotten me anywhere.

I finally tell a woman I love her and she up and runs away without a word but honestly I think I drove her to it and I think it's best to just focus on my career. In my next relationship, I'll make sure she doesn't become my primary focus. At one point all I wanted was Andy and all she wanted to be was a cop. I think it's time for me to want to be a cop and all else will come second.

I've taken the first step to focusing on my career; I decided to take the detective's exam. It's something Jerry wanted me to do, he encouraged me numerous times saying I have the instincts and experience to make a great detective. This will help me with my career and honor Jerry.

It'll also allow me to keep an eye on Traci. Jerry really loved her and I know he would want me to look out for her. Jerry would've done everything he could to help her succeed and now I'll do the same. We've grown closer the past few months, we may not be the best of friends but we both have the common bond of Jerry and I think she may be the only one who understands how tough it is to move forward. I know she's having a really tough time adjusting to a life without Jerry. And thankfully she's hasn't tried to talk to me about Andy.

Jerry was right, I passed the detectives exam with flying colors and I've been doing good so far, I've been learning a lot, becoming more focused.

It feels odd not wearing a uniform or riding around with a rookie. I'm no longer the first responder to a scene; I get there afterwards and have to figure out what exactly happened. Not being in uniform meant buying more clothes. I basically only had a wardrobe of jeans and t-shirts. Now I have to invest in more "professional" wear. God I hate shopping. I'm never going to be as well dressed at Jerry but I'll say I'm more stylish now.

I started running and working out more often, I have plenty of time now. There's a gym by my house that I've been going to for the past five months. I haven't tried to make any friends or anything at the gym but about a month ago I met a woman named Marlo Cruz. She's was injured at her last job and was working out to gain back strength in her left arm before she starts her new job. The funny thing is she happens to be a cop who just transferred to 15. She's been on the force for about 8 years.

We've become good friends and we've slowly drifted into a relationship. We started grabbing dinner every night and she stays over at least once a week or I stay at her place once in a while. She doesn't worry me or scare me. She knows what she's doing and doesn't expect our relationship to be the romance of the century. She doesn't need words of love and we've pretty much settled into a comfortable situation.

Love for me happens only once and once you've lost that, you just find someone who understands where you're coming from and has been in your shoes before. Especially when that one person has taken residence in your heart for so long, you know you're not ready to go through that again.

I think Marlo is in the same place as me, sometimes I sense a deep sorrow in her, like she's holding a part of herself back and this is perfectly fine with me. She's entitled to her secrets; she doesn't need to explain herself to me. But this may be why we work so well as a couple.

So here I am six months later and I think I'm in a better place than I was a few months ago. I feel healthier, calmer and more focused. I have clear goals which I plan to stick to and I'm getting closer to being truly content with life.

I stayed over Marlo's last night and I figured I'd make breakfast before heading out to work. She's working a later shift so at least when she wakes up there'll be something ready for her to eat. As I leave, I quickly whisper goodbye to her and head out.

We haven't really let anyone at 15 know about our relationship. I hardly ever stay over that often. We always take two separate cars if we're working the same shift. Since I'm not a uniform anymore I have no chance of getting partnered with her, so no conflict of interest or misconduct. I've only told Ollie about her and he's kept his mouth shut. I think I've surprised him with the changes in my life but he's acknowledged it's been good for me.

I pull into the lot and see Traci getting out her car. Thankfully I convinced her to give up her beaten up old car and just drive around Jerry's new car. Jerry left a bulk of his estate to her and he wouldn't mind her driving around his car.

"Hey Swarek, you must have gotten a lot of beauty rest lately, looking bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning I see", She call outs to me sarcastically.

I have to admit I do look like crap. I haven't slept well in the past few days. I've been feeling restless lately, almost a tingle in the back of my neck like all hell's about to break loose. This feeling has gotten me out of some tough situations so I wonder what's waiting down the road.

"Sorry all of us can't look as stunning as you every day. Jerry must've taught you his classy ways"

She laughs as she makes a show of tossing her hair over her shoulders and walks toward the door. I hurry to hold the door open for her and we head to the D's office. We've got a heavy caseload right now especially being a few detectives short.

Hopefully we'll manage to close out the robbery case we're working on; we just need an arrest to be made. Epstein and Ollie will be picking up our suspect after parade. When they get back we'll have some questioning to do.

Traci and I lean in to the door of the parade room just to hear what everyone will be working on today. Afterwards it back to sitting in front of the computer.

I have a huge pile of paperwork waiting to be done. I hate paperwork and I still have a few case files that I need to close out that I've been putting off. Maybe I can get Traci to do them for me.

By afternoon we book the guy for robbery and I'm getting hungry. I ask Traci what she wants to eat and we decide to just order in since we have to review files for an upcoming court case in which we both have to testify.

Towards the end of the day, I look up and see through the glass a guy walking into the division and head up to Frank's office. I've seen him somewhere before and then it hits me he's one of the guys from the undercover division. I wonder what that's about, well since I no longer do UC work it's really none of my concern. Maybe he wants to borrow a few of the rookies for an assignment.

But I feel that tingle on the back of my neck again and I have a feeling this guy doesn't bring good news. My instincts are usually right.

A half hour later, there's a knock on the D's door and I look up to see Frank with an anxious look on his face and right behind him is the guy who'd walked in earlier.

"Sam, Traci we need a moment with you guys"

All the other detectives are either out or done for the day, so I invite them in as I close the door behind them.

"This is Derek Foster and he's one of the leads on Project Dakota and he's got a problem."

I feel that tingle become a prickle of warning and unease. I know this going to be bad. All I can think is Andy! We've all heard bits and pieces about this op to know it's dangerous but not all the details.

Traci straightens up at her desk and asks if it's about Andy and Nick.

Frank nods his head yes.

Foster speaks up and says, "It may not be anything serious but we just want to take a precautious step in case there really is trouble."

"What happened?"

Foster goes on tell us about Project Dakota, which is about a group from various criminal backgrounds that have become allies to traffic people, drugs, weapons, etc. They've now become one major organization. There is one major guy who brokers all the deals and creates alliances. McNally and Collins have been given the task of finding all the major players but especially the head honcho.

"The thing is McNally texted their handler saying there was trouble and they've been accused of stealing a shipment. She didn't know if their cover has been blown or not but there was some trouble. There's also been frantic activity going on within the group that is unexpected and unusual. We're not sure what is exactly going on. But it could be nothing."

"So pull our people out"

"Yeah just get in touch with the team and tell them they've possibly been compromised. Text Andy back and tell her and Nick to get the hell outta there."

"We can't, she's been off the wire since this afternoon."

"If you can't reach her something's gone seriously wrong."

"It's a glitch, it'll be fine."

"McNally doesn't go off the wire, she doesn't miss calls."

I feel terror building up and now I can see why I've been feeling restless. There's something wrong with Andy's op. This idiot thinks it's just a glitch. Along with the terror I feel anger building up. This could end up being a very dangerous situation. I just wanna shake this guy and ask how he could even think it's just a glitch.

"I don't wanna pull them out when the whole op is about to wrapped up in a matter of days. We don't want to make a move too soon. We just wanted to let you guys know since they're your people and we may need assistance."

"Well we're not going to sit here and wait to see if something's gone wrong. It may be too late for that. We know McNally and Collins pretty well and we wanna make sure they get back home safe."

The lives of two officers are not worth a stupid op, I don't think any of us in this division can handle losing another one of our own. We need to find them ASAP.

We tell Foster to give us everything on Project Dakota so we can start working on finding them. I tell him to send someone to the cover house right away and see what kind of scene is inside. They can go in as a repairman or something. We gotta get things moving quickly. We'll need to get help from Epstein, Ollie, Diaz and a few of the rookies.

Frank says he call everyone together so we can get the ball rolling on finding McNally and Collins.


	3. Chapter 3

**I just watched the second promo (I know I'm a little behind) and I have to say I don't know if I should be excited or depressed. It may be a little pathetic but I've become so invested in the characters and I really want a happy story for Sam and Andy. I know a lot of people really like Nick but he doesn't hold my affection as much as Chris or Dov. So in my story, I had them be cousin and obviously not a couple for the UC op. I couldn't imagine writing a lovey scene between them! Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**This chapter is pretty short.**

**Andy**

My head hurt like hell. As I moved my hands down to lift myself up I realized I was lying on the floor. Don't tell me I fell asleep and then fell off the couch. God it hurt so much to even lift my head up and the side of face my hurt ached like hell. Ah I must've fallen off the couch pretty hard. As I tried to open my eyes I realized it was dark and something was covering them. Then it all came back to me, someone had been in the house and they hit me on the head from behind. That's when I realized whatever I was laying was moving. It sounded like I was in a vehicle of some kind. Oh shit where's Nick? What happened? I try to move my hands around me and realize that they're tied together in front of me, so I kick my legs out and discover there are no seats and it seemed like an open space. Thank goodness they didn't tie my legs too. I try to leverage myself up. My head hurts so bad, I can barely lift it up and my face…did they hit me in the face?. I slide along the floor and try kicking my legs around again. I feel someone grab my legs.

"Stop trying to kick me. Stay still or I'll knock you out again"

It was Connor's voice. He must've been the one who took me from the house but why? Was our cover blown? If that's the case where's Nick? Is he in here with me? I know given the space I'm in, it means I'm in a van or truck. I'm guessing truck since Connor owns a whole fleet of them. If I've been made, why didn't they kill me at the house? There are so many questions racing through my mind.

"What the hell is going on? Why did you kidnap me? Where's Nick?"

"You're about to become our bargaining chip. Someone stole that shipment and we took you to ensure that your precious cousin cooperates with us. Until he either finds the shipment or finds out who took it, we're keeping you. You better hope he does this quickly."

"WHERE'S NICK?"

"Don't worry he's fine. He's still sound asleep back at your house. When he wakes up, he'll find the message we left for him. He knows what he's gotta do to get you back. Let's hope you're worth it to him."

My heart is racing, my head hurts and I'm terrified. Nick and I have nothing to do with the missing shipment. But at least our cover isn't blown. If Nick doesn't come up with answers fast, I'm going to end up dead.

"But we didn't take the shipment. James most likely did. Why aren't you getting answers from him?"

"It doesn't matter if you guys didn't take it. You're gonna find answers for us. Boss needs someone to find it and since we don't have anything to use as leverage with James, we decided it's gonna be you two. If James did take it, Nick'll have get answers outta of him. You guys wanted to join our organization and now it's time for you to help take care of things. Sometimes you gotta do the dirty work. So taking you will give Nick the extra incentive to find answers fast."

I'm starting to feel this is a hopeless situation. I hope Nick or maybe even the rest of the team get answers from James. I think as a bargaining chip I have a very short expiration date.

I felt the vehicle come to a stop and then heard something open. It sounded like the back hatch of a truck so I definitely must be in one of Connor's trucks. I wonder where they're transporting me to now. They'll probably stash me in one of the warehouses they own on the abandoned part of town.

I listen closely and hear at least two people hop out of the truck. I wonder who else was with Connor. I prepare myself to be dragged out of the truck.

But then I hear the hatch coming back down. I frantically try to get up. They can't be locking me up in the truck! No one will ever find me now!

"See ya later beautiful"

"Wait, don't…"

Even before I can finish I hear the door being shut and locked. I lift my head up and try sliding back. I should reach something solid soon so I can push against it and stand up. The pain is too much but I can't just give up. I have to figure out a way to get out or at least get the blind fold and binding off. My back finally touches something solid and finally after sweating, scraping up my back I finally manage to get up. It felt like hours have passed.

As I stand I feel woozy and I feel like I'll fall over. So I quickly move back against whatever was solid. I turn around and grab hold of whatever it is. I slowly feel my way around the truck and realize it's not empty like I thought. It filled with stuff and almost feels like furniture. I want to get familiar with my space; I need to be prepared for the next time that door opens. I need a plan of attack.

I consider yelling for help but knowing these guys, the truck isn't parked anywhere that someone will hear me or notice me. I guess I'm on my own and it up to me to save myself. I'm not going down without a fight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites. You guys have made my day!**

**I just want to point out that I don't hate either Sam or Andy. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about them but there's no need to bash on them. The creators of Rookie Blue know what they're doing and I believe that they write a really good story. They know what they want from the characters of Andy and Sam. The show is a police drama, not a soap opera or a romance novel. Yes it may not be going the way people want but it is a great show and I have to appreciate the skill of their writers. This is why there's fanficition so we can write their story the way we want.**

**Another short chapter, it's mainly a filler to show how Andy will be found.**

**Sam**

At this point I want to act as quickly as possible but from having worked UC ops I know it may not be wisest decision to go guns blazing without really have a handle on the situation. Frank and Foster are gathering together teams, while Traci and I quickly familiarize ourselves with the case. I'm surprised to find out that Callahan is no longer leading this taskforce. It seems he was pulled out to deal with a past case of his. Some guy named Nathan O'Neil is running the taskforce now.

When Traci and I entered the parade room, we find Ollie, Epstein, Diaz, Peck, and Marlo waiting for us. The Dakota taskforce will communicate with us wirelessly.

I can feel the nervous energy in the room and all of us are ready to act. None of us want to sit around waiting. We're all still feeling the effects of losing Jerry and we don't need this on top of all that.

I've pushed the panic back to the back of my mind. I may not know Collins all that well but I trained Andy. I know what she's capable of and I know she can handle herself. But that doesn't stop the prickles of fear from seeping in. Collins survived a war, so I know he'll not only think smart but catch Andy's back.

I also remind myself to think of her as McNally, not Andy. I don't really have the right to think of her as Andy anymore. The only way I can keep myself in check is by thinking of her as a fellow officer. I should've thought of her as that from the beginning. I couldn't be a cop and be with her when I thought of her as someone I had to take care of and keep safe. It left me too exposed and I not only put myself in danger but her also. I stopped listening to my instincts and let my worries and fears dull those instincts. I worried too much about protecting her and forgot that she was well trained cop. I still worry about her and that may not be healthy for both of us.

With Marlo, I don't have to worry. She doesn't have the ability to scare me.

I reassure Traci we're worrying for nothing and that we're getting ahead of ourselves.

We let everyone know what's going and explain that we're not sure if McNally and Collins cover was compromised. Jon, their handler, came online to explain that he last anyone heard from either of them was a text from McNally about a missing shipment and that the Boss would be present at a meeting that's to take place that night.

A meeting that's gonna take place in 2 hours. Since no one's heard from either Collins or McNally, a few people from the Dakota team are gonna cut the power to the cover house and send in someone pretending to be the repairman. That team is ready to act and is just waiting for the go from O'Neil.

We all agree that they should go in now. There's no point in waiting and the quicker we act the better for everyone.

While we wait to hear back from that team, the rest of us at 15 reviews and listen to all the evidence gathered so far. There also some surveillance videos to go through.

About ten minutes later we hear back from the team that was checking out the cover house. They found Collins at the house but McNally is missing. Whoever took her left behind a message saying they took McNally as a bargaining chip in order to get Nick to find that missing shipment.

This is good and bad news. Collins doesn't think their cover was blown but McNally is still in danger. Finding her is imperative. I have a feeling she doesn't have much time left.

O'Neil has decided to send a team to the restaurant that they were all supposed to meet at; it belongs to one of the organization's key players, a guy named David Rutger, a nasty piece of work. They have enough evidence to raid the place for money laundering. They're accelerating their take down plan, especially since the leader of the organization is supposed to be there tonight.

Epstein and I will be a part of the raid on the restaurant. Peck and one of the rookies will go over all the videos and audios to see if there's anything that will lead us to where McNally has been taken.

Traci, Diaz and Ollie will work with Collins to find the missing shipment. The Dakota taskforce is going to raid as much facilities as they can and make arrests, they'll look for McNally as they go. We need to make sure that we cripple this organization as quickly as possible but we wanna raid the restaurant first so they can't get word out that the cops are onto them. It's like chopping of the head so the rest of the body can't function.

Thirty minutes later, Epstein and I along with a few members of the Dakota taskforce are gathered at a store across the street from the restaurant. We need to catch them unaware and we need to do this quickly, there's no room for mistakes.

We want to find McNally but we're not sure if we should give away the fact that they're cops and blow their cover. We don't need this group retaliating later against McNally or Collins. But how to get information on the whereabouts of McNally?

We'll have to play it by ear and like McNally says fake it till we make it.

We have a cellphone jammer is place and we split up into two teams to cover each entrance. Things happen so quickly that none of us has time to second guess ourselves.

Luckily there wasn't too much gunfire, especially since we caught them off guard. A few tried to make a run for it and most of the kitchen staff look scared.

Members of the Dakota taskforce are familiar with all faces of the key players in the organization, so they're able to pinpoint who the Boss is. While they made the arrests, I went to talk to Rutger. He had tried to make a run for it but we caught him once he made it to the kitchen.

One of the taskforce members said there's a guy named Connor, who is another key player, unaccounted for along with a guy named James. My first thought it those two must be with McNally.

So I grab Rutger and ask him where Connor and James are. He just gives me a stupid smirk and shrugs. What an idiot! I'm done asking nicely. I grab him by shoulder and slam down onto one of the metal tables.

"Where the hell is Connor? Don't make me ask again cuz it's gonna hurt a lot more next time."

He starts to laugh but then as I grab him up again he realizes I'm dead serious.

"He's down at his truck storage yard."

"Why isn't he here tonight?"

I see Rutger's eyes shift slightly before saying, "He had a package to take care of and said he'd be coming really late."

My instincts were saying that this package had to be Andy, I mean McNally.

I hand the idiot over to Epstein to take out to the squad car and I signal to the taskforce guys that once we've cleared everyone out we need to talk about finding McNally. I don't want anyone to overhear that we're really looking for McNally not Connor.

We'll need to touch base with the team working with Collins; they may be able to reach McNally faster.

After all the suspects are taken away, we gather around the kitchen while we make a call to Collins and team. We tell them what Rutger told us and Collins informs us he knows where the storage yard is. At this point we're assuming this Connor doesn't know what happened to the rest of his teammates. The other guy not accounted for is James but Collins believes he may have skipped town, especially if he was the one who took the stolen shipment. We'll worry about finding him later. So our plan is to send in Collins alone and making it seem like he found the shipment, told Rutger about it who gave up the location of McNally. We tell one of the officers to head back to booking and grab Rutger's phone. We'll send a text to Connor from his phone letting him know Collins found the missing shipment.

This will make sure that their cover stays intact and no one will be the wiser as to whom they really are.

We're not sure if this plan will work well but as long we know where McNally is, we can work at getting her back in one piece. Collins lets us know that this Connor character is a bit of a hot head so anticipating his reactions will be impossible.

We set up headquarters in a nearby warehouse and Collins is wired and ready to go.

We need to move fast since it'll be getting dark soon and visibility is becoming limited.

We set up around the parameter of the lot; there are too many places to hide and lots of escape routes, which is a disadvantage to us. We don't know how many people are in the lot and surrounding buildings.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the awesome reviews everyone! Please forgive me if I can't update the story often in the next 3 weeks. Its finals week and I got too much to do!**

**Andy**

I feel like I've been in here for days even though I'm sure it's only been a few hours. I'm hot and sweaty, plus I have to pee really badly. Hope these idiots at least think to let me have a bathroom break. I mean they really don't plan to leave me here until Nick finally finds me right?

I feel panic slowly creeping up on me but I refuse to give in; I can't afford to start panicking. I have to think smart and not wait to be rescued.

I still haven't managed to get my hands free or my blindfold removed. I tried everything I could but my hands seem to be tied pretty tightly. But this doesn't mean I'm quitting. The minute the door opens I'm going to be prepared to attack. The blindfold isn't that thick, so I can see faint amount of light and make out obvious shadows.

I've pretty much learned the inside of this truck as well as I can and I haven't even found one object I can use as a weapon. Once again I'm thankful they didn't tie my feet together as well.

As I'm pacing back and forth in the little space I have, I hear the noise of the door lifting up. My whole body tenses and I get ready to act.

I move closer to the light and I can make out a faint outline, it looks like a person so I quickly act by kicking at the person. I feel triumph when I realize my foot connected with something and that something has moved out of my sight.

Then I hear someone start to laugh. What the hell is going on? Maybe I acted too quickly, there's obviously more than one person.

"Oh shit Andy. Here I am to get you out and you go and kick me."

Wait, that's Nick. Oops I kicked Nick. How the hell did he find me and so quickly? Even though it felt like I had been in this truck forever, I expected it would take Nick a really long time to get to me.

A pair of hands grabbed me and helped me down. My blindfold gets removed and I looked to see Nick lying on the floor clutching his right eye. Oh man I kicked Nick in the eye.

But I look to see who helped me down and is still holding onto me, I see its Connor, who is holding a shotgun and has an amused look on his face.

"Hoping it was me weren't you Andy. Too bad it's your precious Nicky you ended up hurting"

He starts laughing again and I'm so annoyed. I really wish it was him I had kicked.

Connor then gets a serious look on his face and signals to a couple of his guys that was standing around. They quickly grab Nick up and Connor points the shotgun at him as he drags me closer to him.

"What the hell is going on Connor? You said I find the shipment and you'd let Andy go."

"Well you see the thing is you found that shipment too quickly. This makes me suspicious. I never trusted you from the beginning and now I'm starting to believe that you guys really did steal that shipment, otherwise you wouldn't have found it so quickly."

"Look man, James was just really dumb about where he stashed the stolen goods. I just happened to be smarter than him and knew where to look. We did what you asked, now just let us go."

"Nah man. Way too suspicious. I'm holding onto you two until I've talked to the Boss. I've been trying to get in touch with him and Dave, but no one's picking up. After I've locked you both up here I'm gonna head over to the restaurant for the meeting. I've got a bad feeling about this."

He starts dragging me along with him, while his goons bring Nick along behind us. He heads to the warehouse that's located in the lot.

He takes me to the right while Nick is taken to the left. This can't be happening. I wonder if Nick had time to get in touch with Jon and the others. Nick must've come with some sort of backup or he's got to be wired.

I tell Connor I gotta use the restroom and he reluctantly unties my hands and leads me to the bathroom. He makes me leave the door open which is so embarrassing but there's nothing I can do about it.

After I'm finished he takes me to a small room and pushes me onto a chair. There's nothing much in the room, an old metal desk and the chair I'm sitting on. It's barely got any light, there's only a faint yellow light coming from the one bulb in the room, which makes the room look creepier.

"Look Connor you got this all wrong. We had nothing to do with the stolen shipment. Just take us along with you to the meeting and we'll explain everything to the Boss. If not both of us, take at least one of us with you."

"No can do. I don't trust either of you. And I rather have you two stashed away some place you guys can't escape. My guys will keep guard while I head out. Once I've figured out what's going on, I'll decide what to do with you guys."

With that he leaves and locks the door behind him. I start banging on the door and screaming to let us go! I can't believe this. I need to get out of here. I start searching through the drawers of the old desk. But there's nothing in there. There's a very small window with rusted bars and I realize that if I can break off a piece, maybe I can use it to open the door somehow.

I manage to break of a piece the size of a hair pin and I run over to the door. Sam had once taught me how to pick a lock using a paperclip and now I just have to remember the exact steps.

My palms are sweaty and I keep dropping the little piece of metal. This is so frustrating. I'm so close and I can't even keep my hands steady. As I try for the hundredth time, I hear gunshots. That's not a sound I wanna hear. I don't know if it's the good guys or the bad. But something is definitely going on out there. I give the lock another try and hallelujah I finally manage to get it open. I quickly wrench the door open and I start heading to the side of the building I think Nick has been stashed. But I tell myself to slow down, I don't know where the gun fight is taking place and I need to be careful. The building is dark and there are shadows moving everywhere, I'm so tired as well. As I round the corner I walk smack dab into someone.

I start to attack when my wrists are grabbed together and I hear Chris say "Whoa there Andy, calm down, it's me Chris. Dov is right behind me."

I look to see Dov and Chris and boy have I never been so happy to see them. I quickly let them know that Nick is somewhere on the other side of the building. I tell them I haven't run into anyone else either.

With Chris leading the way and Dov behind me we start moving quickly toward the other side of the building, we start checking every door we see but there's no one in any of them. Where the hell is Nick? The gunshots are louder now and I realize this is where the action is taking place. In the dark I can make out shadows of people moving quickly and it looks like bodies are strewn all over the floor. I wonder if the guys standing are good or bad.

They appear to be good guys since Chris is making his way over to them. As I get closer I see its Oliver and some unfamiliar female officer. The nametag reads 'Cruz'.

Oliver quickly grabs me and hugs me saying he's glad I'm ok. I tell them we need to find Nick. The gunshots have stopped and all there is silence. As we start making our way deeper into the building we see another group of dark figures and then we hear someone shout out "all clear". As I start moving towards that group I hear someone calling out my name. I realize it's Nick and I run to the figure that has broken away from the group. We reach other and just grab onto to each other is a tight hug. I'm so relieved that he's fine. I whisper to him that I'm sorry about kicking him in the eyes and he laughs. As I look up I realize that someone has managed to rig some lights up and the place is much brighter looking. I also a find a pair of dark eyes watching me before he turns away to talk to some officer behind him. Sam.

Before I even have time to react to seeing Sam, I'm bombarded by Traci, Chris and Dov. They all quickly give Nick and I hugs. Boy am I happy to see my friends. At that moment I realize how much I've missed them.

Most of Connor's guys and Connor are dead. From the body count it looks like there was one hell of a gun fight. Nick quickly fills me in on what has happened since I got taken. I'm so relieved to know they've arrested the Boss, who turned out to be a guy named Roberto Cardera. It seems most of their operation has been crippled and will soon be gone.

Nick and I are quickly separated from our friends at 15 by Foster and O'Neil who wants to get us debriefed before the night is over. We're put in a car and driven back to 15, where a medic gives us a quick exam. I still have a lingering headache and Nick's eye needs to be taken care of. We give our full statements to the Dakota guys and it took us over two hours to get through it all. Once we're done all I want to do is take a shower.

It felt so good to be back even though I've been dreading it. Sitting in one of the interrogation rooms I heard a group of officers passing by (it was Dov, Chris, Gail, Traci, Oliver and that lady Cruz) and Dov was saying "Life is coursing through my veins right now. I just want to hold someone. Celebration sex?"

I had to laugh, so typical of Dov. I really missed his goofy silly self. I've missed them all. I hope Traci isn't terribly upset with me for leaving without a word. And Sam, I don't even know what to think with Sam. I'll leave the whole Sam situation for another day. I shower quickly and head to find Nick. It's seems everyone else has gone for the day. I figured we'd grab dinner together before heading home. But I definitely don't want to head to the Penny.

As I leave the locker room I see Nick standing there, as I start walking faster I see Gail come out of the room next to him. She looks at him and holy shit the next thing I know she reaches back and punches Nick in his left eye. Then she just walks away. I hear Nick say "at least it's my good eye" as he watches her leave. I reach him and I have to laugh. He's gotten hit in each eye by a different woman all in one day.

Nick and I have the next few days off. We also have to meet with a counselor to decompress everything we faced while UC. I can use the next few days off to prepare myself to be back at 15. Maybe I'll convince Traci to come out hang out with me. I've missed her the most. I wonder how she's been handling everything. I feel slight bit guilty for running off while she was still grieving but I really needed to get away.

This all can be dealt with tomorrow. I'll probably sleep all day and then head over to the Penny in the evening. It actually feels good to be home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey once again thanks everyone for the reviews, follow and favorites. You guys are awesome. Sorry that this is such a short chapter.**

**Sam**

We watched Collins go into the lot and soon he disappeared from site but we could still hear him through his wire. Needless to say, things didn't go the way we planned.

I had to laugh to myself that McNally was prepared for a fight, from what we can hear it appears she kicked Collins. I would've paid to see that. This Connor character obviously has a suspicious nature and it looked like Collins and McNally weren't just gonna be able to walk away.

Connor was planning to keep them locked up in his warehouse while he left to go find his little friends. Since McNally wasn't wired we couldn't hear what was happening with her but from what we could hear from Collins he was protesting being separated from McNally.

We could hear scuffling feet and then soon a door being slammed. Collins let us know that he and McNally were separated and that he was locked in the west side of the warehouse while McNally was on the East side.

We saw the Connor guy get into a range rover and start driving out. We decided to let him leave and then we quickly called in a unit to have him picked up along the road.

All the teams moved in quickly from different directions. As our team reached the warehouse entrance on the west side, we saw that the range rover had driven back in. What the heck! Why did the guy come back? There was no way he wouldn't see us. As soon as he saw us, he pulled out a shotgun from within the car and started firing. The gun shot drew out all the people that were either in the lot or in the warehouse. We quickly took cover and returned fire. I was satisfied when I saw Connor go down. One less guy to deal with.

As some of our team held off Connor's guys, Foster and I went in looking for McNally and Collins. Team two radioed in saying that their side of the building was clear and that they were headed east. We started opening up every door we saw and in the last one we found Collins. The guy had a nasty looking bruise forming over his right eye. Looks like McNally got in a good kick.

The rest of our team had managed to take out those shooting at them and we moved deeper into the warehouse searching for McNally.

We could hear gunshots from somewhere deep within. Diaz came on the radio saying he found McNally safe and sound. So now we just had to defend against the attack. Soon the bad guys were neutralized and we found Oliver with his team talking to McNally.

She looked unhurt but a little dirty. Relief flooded my system knowing she was safe. God if anything had happened to Andy! I'm proud of her, from what I saw in the reports she did really good on this UC op.

A couple of the Dakota team member started to set up lights since it was so dark in the warehouse. It's a crime scene and would need to be processed.

Collins broke away from our group when he saw McNally and called out her name. They both started running towards each other and caught each other in a big hug. They both looked really happy to see each other and little too familiar. I wonder if anything was going on between those two. They had been chummy before even heading out on this op and they probably got a whole lot closer these past six months.

Maybe that's why Peck has been walking around with a lost and sad look in her eyes. I feel for that kid, she's had a really tough time lately.

McNally eye's caught mine watching and I quickly turned away.

Not that it's any of my business. It's time for me to let it all go, I've started to move on and I need to keep thinking of McNally as just a fellow officer. McNally has sent a pretty clear message, there's no going back for us. We're done.

Foster and O'Neil take Collins and McNally back to 15 to debrief. I volunteer to stay behind to help process the scene. It's not like I got anywhere to be tonight. I texted Marlo letting her know I'll be staying behind so not to expect me at the Penny.

It's been a hell of a long day and I'm glad it's finally over. Glad McNally and Collins came out this op in one piece. They did good work.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm not a Sam or Andy hater. So please don't interpret my writing as me taking sides. It's not my purpose to make one of them look bad. If I do it's completely unintentional. I look forward to Season 4 and I do plan on watching even if it's not going the way I would like. Thanks for reading.**

**Andy**

I slept most of the next day and then went grocery shopping. My place smelled, especially since I forgot to take out the trash that night I left six months ago. I opened all the windows to air out the place, cleaned up the entire place and did laundry.

By the time I got my place in order it was already evening. I told everyone I would be at the Penny tonight so I went in my closet to pick out an outfit. It felt good to be back in my regular clothes and I wanted to look extra nice tonight.

I wanted to wear a celebration outfit. These past few months have been tough and I've accomplished something I should be proud of. I want to be a really good cop and not live in the shadows of my dad's mistakes. I got to prove how good of a cop I am through the taskforce. What Nick and I did was huge, we helped shut down a major operation.

As usual I was running late, finding the perfect outfit always takes forever.

The Penny was packed by the time I got there. I saw Gail and Nick at the bar talking, it looked like they might be working things out. At least for now there's no punching involved which always is a good sign. I headed over to the table where Traci and Dov sat. I asked where Chris was and they said he wanted to go home to spend some time with his son.

I can't believe Chris is a dad, so crazy. It felt odd being back and it seemed like so many things were so different. I see Oliver come with Sam and the new officer Cruz sitting at their usual spots. Oliver left pretty quick and when I asked why Traci said he's been trying to make things right with his wife. They're getting counseling, so he likes to be home everything night to have dinner with his family.

I thought good for Oliver and Zoe, I'm happy that they get another chance at making their marriage work.

Gail and Nick must've definitely talked things through because they were seriously making out. Nick soon pulled Gail out the door and we all looked at each other knowing where those two were headed. Well good for them, Nick has been missing Gail these past six months, I mean all he did was talk about her. He was worried she wouldn't forgive him. Well she must've from the make out session we just witnessed.

Dov headed to the bar to order another round and of course he found some girl to flirt with. Traci and I got so busy talking, that an hour later we realized Dov never came back with our drinks. We looked all around for him and couldn't find him anywhere. Maybe the guy left but that's pretty messed up him to forget about our drinks and not even say bye.

Sam was still sitting at the bar nursing his drink and it seemed that Cruz lady had left already left. I didn't know if I should get up and go talk to him.

Traci decided to head home to her little boy, so I said bye and that we'll hang sometime in the coming week. I figured this would be the perfect chance to have a talk with Sam.

As I started to get up and head to the bar, Sam got up and headed out the door. I quickly followed hoping to catch him before he left. I didn't know what to say to him but we needed to discuss some of the things he said to me that night six months ago.

I caught up with him as he was getting into his truck.

"Hey Sam wait up"

He stopped in the process of opening the door and just looked at me. He didn't look too happy to see me.

"What's up McNally? You need a ride?"

"Yeah sure that'd be nice."

I got into his truck and we drove out of the Penny in awkward silence. I asked how he was doing, he said fine. But he made no effort to talk. This was going to be difficult.

Soon Sam was pulling up in front of my place.

"Sam we need to talk"

"What do we need to talk about McNally?"

"Look I know I left that night without a word and I think we need to clear the air"

"McNally you made things perfectly clear. You left without a word and I get that's your way of saying its over. You walked away from us again."

"Sam…You broke my heart"

"And you got me back. I told you I loved you and you left without a word. I've never even told another woman I loved her. So I guess we're even now."

"You made it sound like you were joking around. You hurt me pretty bad, you couldn't just expect me forgive you without a thought. And this isn't about keeping score Sam!"

"I know that McNally. But admit you left without a word just to be spiteful. You had no intention of giving me a second chance but you let me think that. I waited at the Penny for 3 hours and then only to find out the next day you left for Callaghan's taskforce. Look this discussion is getting out of hand, saying things that will just end up hurting, there's no point in rehashing this McNally. I get it, I hurt you and I'm really really sorry for that. I can't take back anything I've done. I truly don't deserve your forgiveness. I get it. I'm not mad at you, nor do I hate you. We're not good for each other. I've learned that the hard way."

"So now it's all my fault for leaving. You broke up with me Sam. You left me in the rain crying. Did you mean anything you said to me that night? Or was it some pathetic effort to make amends?"

"No..no…that's not what I meant and at the time I meant every word I said to you Andy! But you made your point clear. And a guy can only wait around for so long."

"I never expected you to wait around. I mean for all I know you've moved on and gotten married. I knew what I was doing when I left for the task force. Yes I needed to get away from you and the last six months given me some perspective. I like to think I've grown up a little bit and moved past the hurt. I guess I can say I no longer hate you."

"Same here, in the past six months, I've made a lot of changes. I couldn't go on the way I was. Speaking of moving on, there's something I really need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Before you hear this from anyone else, I need to let you know I've moved on, I met someone last month."

My ears were roaring and all I could hear was Sam saying he moved on, that he met someone. I felt numb and frozen. I knew Sam would be mad for running off but I never expected him to have found someone else. I had been joking about him getting married.

Deep down I wasn't even sure we'd ever get back together or that I could be in the same room with him without feeling resentment. I hadn't expected Sam to sit around for six months, moping and waiting for me. Sam's not that kind of guy; he's got too much pride to do that. But this was unexpected.

I opened the door with seeing clearly and just ran out. I could hear Sam calling out to me. But I ignore all this and run up to my place. I close the door and lean on it and I finally let the tears fall. I could hear my phone ringing and its Sam calling. I brush my tears away and take a deep calming breath. I can't let Sam know how much his news has devastated me. I need to pick up and act like I'm perfectly fine. I shouldn't have run out of his truck like that, I should have stayed calm. But he just caught me off guard.

I hit answer and manage to say hello without sounding to wobbly.

"Andy…look I'm really sorry…I didn't mean to blurt that out. I just needed to let you know that I'm sorry and that I don't want you to feel like I'm holding you back. All I manage to do is mess things up with you."

"No Sam its ok. You just caught me off guard and with the UC bust and everything; it was just too much to take in at once. I'm happy for you."

"Look McNally outside of work I won't bother you anymore. I get it, I messed up and there's no way in hell you'll forgive me. Maybe we are too different."

"Yeah maybe we are. Well I'm tired and would like to get some sleep. Good night Sam."

"Bye McNally and I'll see you around work and I promise I'll keep it professional."

I hang up and just sit down in front of the door. I feel drained. I had dreaded returning home but deep down I was happy to finally be back. But now it felt like my world got flipped upside down again.

I don't know what to do. I think of calling Traci but I know she's probably asleep. Nick and Gail are probably busy getting it on. There's no one I can talk to right now. Maybe that's a good thing. I only have myself to rely on.

I take a deep cleansing breath and head to my room to change out of my clothes. My celebration clothes now seem dreary. I get ready for bed and turn out all the lights.

Sam broke up with me almost 9 months ago; I shouldn't be feeling this sense of loss. I mean I've had enough time to deal with it all. It feels like a break up all over again. When I left that night six months ago, all I wanted to do was get away from Sam. And he was right; in the back of my mind I left without a word to be spiteful. I wanted him to feel the pain that he caused me to feel. I wanted him to sit around waiting for me, wondering if I'll give him another chance. He deserved it for breaking my heart.

I wonder who the new woman in his life is, what she looks like, and if Sam is happy with her.

He looked different, like he lost weight but in a good way. He looked healthier and even a little more relaxed.

I don't hate Sam for having moved on; I mean it has been a while since we broke up. I should have expected that things wouldn't be the same that I couldn't pick up where I left off that night six months ago.

I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, I have dreams of Sam running from me and I keep trying to catch him but he's elusive as ever.

It's not fair, I leave for six months and so much has changed.

Life never goes the way you expect. Too much changes too quickly.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm trying to get as much written as I can. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Let me know what you think.**

**Sam**

Shit. Shit. I messed it all up. God, why could I never get it right with this girl? I shouldn't have told Andy yet. But when she started talking about them and all their issues, I just wanted it out in the open that I was seeing someone. I didn't want her to find out by accident and feel like I was hiding things from her. I already hurt her way too much.

She just came back from an UC op and right afterwards is never a good time for anyone. Undercover work takes a lot out of a person; it leaves you overwhelmed and ripped apart emotionally. You have to remember how to act like yourself again. I shouldn't have said anything yet; I should've waited till she had some time to adjust. But when she stopped me outside the Penny, I couldn't find a way to get out of there without being mean.

I didn't want to be the one holding her back; I just wanted the best for her. For her to be happy and not be constantly reminded of how much I hurt her.

I had really considered leaving 15 so there wouldn't be this awkwardness between them. I remembered when she and Collins had moved away when I went to sit near them at the bar. I don't want her to have to avoid me every time she sees me.

Oh man, this was all such a mess. I had thought my life was finally getting on track and soon as McNally walks back into the picture, my life is a confusing mess again.

I pull away from the front of McNally's place and head home. It's been a long tiring day and I just want to crash. But my mind is still full of thoughts. So once at home, I change into shorts and a t-shirt. I need to run out all this. I run for over 4 miles before I know I'm beyond exhaustion.

I shower and get to bed. But my mind is still churning and I have a hard time getting to sleep. I spent most of the night tossing and turning. Finally its morning and I feel like hell.

I get dressed, make coffee and drag myself off to work. At least I won't see McNally around for another couple of days.

Traci gives my haggard face a questioning look but says nothing.

Soon I immerse myself in my work load and try to forget everything but work. Why is it when you want the day to go faster, it goes the slowest? After what feels like an endless day I'm finally ready to head home. Ollie stops me on my way out and asks if I'm coming to the Penny tonight. But I tell him no, I'm really not up to socializing tonight. I also have a text from Marlo asking if I wanna grab dinner tonight. I don't wanna see anyone right now. I tell her not tonight.

I head straight to the gym. I've started carrying workout clothes in the truck for convenience. Tonight it's come in handy.

I don't know why I'm acting like such a girl. It's not like McNally wants me back and will forgive me anytime soon. So why am I dwelling on it like I'm some teenage girl who needs to over analyze everything? I've come to accept that McNally and I are done over the past few months, so now I need to stop thinking there's any hope of us getting back together.

It doesn't matter that the very back of my head my conscience is reminding me that I still love her and she may be the only woman I'll ever love.

McNally was probably just upset that I found someone because she probably still holds anger towards me and that's completely understandable. I pulled a really douche move on her. I don't plan on rubbing Marlo in her face. It isn't a competition.

After the gym I drive around aimlessly. The restless is back and for once I just want to be at peace.

Before I know it I'm parked in front of McNally's place. I decide then and there that McNally I need to talk it all out so maybe we can even just become comfortable around each other.

I knock on her door and I can see she's surprised to see me.

"Sam what are you doing here?"

"Look can I come in?"

"Yeah sure"

I take a deep breath.

"Look Andy, I want to apologize. I know it's a little too late to say this but I'm sorry I hurt you. From the day I met you, you've always been someone special to me and it was never my intention to hurt you as badly as I did."

She had a surprised look on her face and she opened her mouth to say something but I quickly rushed on.

"It was stupid of me to make decisions about my life while I'm grieving. You ended up paying for the hurt and anger I was feeling. I ended up saying and doing things I greatly regret. I don't expect us to be friends or even get back together. I get that there's no going back. But I want everything out in the open so we don't need to avoid each other or feel uncomfortable around each other."

"Thanks for that Sam. But can you tell me one thing; did you mean all that stuff you said that night, about Boo Radley and making dinner?"

"I meant every word I said that night I was even prepared to beg but once I realized you left without giving me a thought I realized you didn't want to give me a second chance. And I get why you didn't. I left it too late. You may not like me saying this and this is not an excuse but I was tired of waiting, I felt like all I did since I met you was wait for you. I loved you Andy, like I've never loved another woman and I don't think I can handle love like that again. I wasn't looking for a relationship, she kind of snuck up on me and I'll admit I was lonely and just needed someone to talk to and spend time with. Every decision has a consequence and we both made ones we thought were right for us."

"I guess you're right Sam, there's no going back only forwards. I think we can be civil towards each other. I do wish you all the best."

"Same to you McNally. Take care of yourself and by the way I'm very proud of you for the work you did with the taskforce. You're a great cop, don't ever doubt yourself."

I get out of there quickly and hope this is a step towards making peace between McNally and me.

I just need to stick with my plan of treating McNally in a professional matter.

Maybe tonight I'll finally get a goodnight sleep.

McNally is supposed to be back at work in two days.

Who knew two days good go by so fast? I get to the station pretty early and thankfully there isn't anyone in the D's office. I take a few quiet minutes to myself. I know Traci is surprised when she comes in that I'm already there.

"Swarek you're one eager beaver today huh. "

I laugh and just say "Well I get to work with someone as wonderful as you so why wouldn't I be excited to be here bright and early."

We both laugh and head to the parade room.

Frank is standing in the front talking to Chloe Price, one of the new rookies. She also happens to be Frank's goddaughter. I'm sure she's a nice kid but she's one of those annoying bubbly people. I'm thankful that I'm not a T.O. anymore. I can't imagine spending all day in a squad car with her.

I see McNally is already there sitting next to Collins, heads together whispering something to each other. She looks relaxed and happy around Collins. She turns back then and sees me at the back of the room next to Traci. I see her eyes widen in surprise, I quickly realize it's probably at the fact that I'm not in uniform. She must've not heard about me becoming a detective. She turns back around as Frank gets everyone's attention.

"Quiet down everyone. Today is another day to protect, serve, and welcome back two of our own. McNally and Collins it's good to have you guys back. Those of you who didn't know, officer McNally and Collins have been gone for the past six months to work on a taskforce. A few days ago with their help we were able to shut down a major operation. Everyone give them a round of applause for the job well done."

Frank went on to give out the assignments for the day. I leave before I can hear the partnering to get some coffee. As I'm finished making my coffee I turn around to find Marlo in the break room with me. She starts making her own cup. I know she didn't really come for coffee; she wants to talk about McNally. She's been trying to bring her up in conversation for the past two days.

"So McNally's back."

"It's in the past"

I don't know why but I stepped up and kissed Marlo. Something I have never done before at work, not even when McNally and I were together. Deep down I know it's because of guilt I kissed her, she's wanted to talk about McNally but I've been brushing her off. I felt the kiss would reassure her or placate her. It was such a stupid move on my part.

I realized this especially when I looked up to see McNally and Traci standing in the doorway of the break room. Traci has a stunned look on her face, while McNally looks confused.

I need to get out of there so I let go of Marlo and say excuse me to get past the girls. I head to the locker room and just sit. What happened to my organized orderly life? I take a deep breath and head back to my desk. I have a feeling Traci will have questions for me.

And I was right.

"Swarek, you got some explaining to do."

"Look Traci can we not talk about this right now?"

"But…"

I cut her off before she can keep going. I grab one of the folders off my desk and start working. I can feel Traci watching me.

I finally give up and look at her, she doesn't look happy.

"It's been six months Traci. I can't sit around pining away for something I know is never going to happen. I messed up and there's no going back to fix it. I met Marlo a month ago and she just happened. Can we just leave it at that?"

"No I can't but I'll let it go for now. You hurt her Sam and I couldn't even help her out because I was grieving."

"I know Traci and I would give anything in the world to take away the pain BOTH of you have faced. But in life there are no do-overs."

I guess she meant it when she said she'll drop it for now. The day pretty much went by quickly and I once again headed straight to the gym.

I needed to call Marlo; I've been avoiding her a little too much.

After I shower I head out to meet Marlo for dinner. We head to this Italian place near where she lives. I feel awkward as we sit across from each other.

I ask her how her day went, she was partnered with Epstein. She tells me some funny tidbits that make me laugh. Then she gets straight to the point, she asks about McNally.

"So how was it seeing McNally again? Hope she wasn't too surprised when she saw us in the break room."

"I already told McNally I was seeing someone a few days ago."

"Wait you saw her a few days ago? I thought today was her first day back."

"I ran into her the night she came to the Penny. I figured I should tell her before she found out on her own."

Marlo looked surprised that I had decided to do this. I didn't want to talk about McNally with Marlo. When we first started hanging out together, I had told her the bare bones of what happened between McNally and me.

Luckily she dropped the McNally topic and we started talking about other things.

Being in a relationship is complicated. I was happier and more relaxed when I was alone. Maybe this relationship with Marlo isn't what I need right now.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm trying to get this story done before I have to start some serious studying. So hopefully I can finish it by the end of the week, if not please be patient with me. Also thanks for the awesome reviews!**

**Andy**

I couldn't believe Sam came by and apologized. I was so surprised and in way relieved. Sam and I may never go back to what we were but at least we can move forward and act civil around each other.

I still haven't fully forgiven him for how much he hurt me but I'm no longer filled with anger.

Sitting at home I feel restless, I'm used to having something to do and I can't wait to get back to work. I check through all my mail, my bills were taken care of while I was under but still have the rest to go through. I had a ton of voicemails, mostly from my friends and my parents.

I stopped by to see my dad and I was happy to see he's doing well. He looks better and happier than he has in years. His new "lady friend" is good for him and she's got him involved in a whole bunch of old people activities. He's having fun.

I also called my mom and she stopped by for a quick visit. She was upset that I left without telling her but was glad I got away for a few months. She asked about Sam and I didn't tell her anything. She kept telling me I need to get out there and start dating again, to forget about Sam. I was a little annoyed with her because she left me without a word and I can honestly say she hurt me far more than Sam ever did but she expected me to forgive her. She's got double standards, I may have asked her for advice before but that was at my lowest moment. I've had time to think and realized she's not the best person to get advice from.

I haven't had a chance to catch up with Traci yet. She's been busy with work and most of her nights were spent with Leo. We were planning to go running the day after tomorrow and then make lunch at my place. I stocked up on groceries and wine just for that day.

My visit with the shrink was a waste of time in my opinion. The first session was her asking how I'm doing and stuff. The stipulation is I have to see her for the next month if I want to return to active duty. So I'll put up with her for now.

Nick and I grabbed dinner the night before our first day back. I didn't need a shrink I have Nick to talk to about everything. We had a great time; somehow that guy always manages to make me laugh. I told him about my talk with Sam and he was surprised about that. He said sometimes to move on with life we need to forgive and forget. He talked about how much he had hurt Gail in the past and how he's glad she decided to give him another chance. Those two have a history worse than Sam and I. I asked how he and Gail were doing since he got back from UC and he said things were great.

I can totally rely on Nick to be brutally honest and I'm so glad we've become such good friends.

I woke up the next day ready to face anything. I was stoked to be back with my friends. I wonder what has changed at 15.

In the locker room I find Gail talking to the new lady Cruz I saw at the takedown and I said hello and quickly changed into my uniform. I wonder who Frank will pair me with today; I really hope it's not Sam. I don't think I can handle riding with him my first day back, maybe in a month or so I can handle it.

I run to the parade room and find that Nick has saved a seat for me. There are some new faces; some look young and eager so I'm assuming they're rookies. Frank is talking to one in front of the room. I ask Dov who is sitting in front of me who all the new faces are. He informs me that are four new rookies and one of them happens to be Frank's goddaughter and points to the girl in the front talking to him. That should be interesting. He goes on to tell me that Marlo Cruz transferred over from SWAT and is now one of the T.O's. He would have gone on to tell me more if Nick hadn't tapped me on the shoulders to make some joke. I leaned into him as he told me about something Gail told him.

I felt someone watching me and I looked back to see Sam standing in the back next to Traci. I was surprised because he wasn't wearing his uniform. I wonder what that's about and before I can ask Dov Frank called us to attention.

Frank congratulated Nick and me on a job well done and I felt proud to be recognized. For once I hadn't screwed up and actually did something to overshadow my dad's failures.

I got up quickly and caught up with Traci once Frank dismissed us. She was up to the doorway as I grabbed her arm. She was walking towards the break room.

"Hey Traci…quick question why isn't Sam in uniform?"

"Oh you didn't hear, Sam became a detective.""

"He's a detective? What? No way…that's something I would've never thought he wanted to do."

To say I was surprised was putting it mildly but as Traci and I reached the break room I was in for an even bigger surprise.

Sam and Cruz were kissing. I was so confused. This was the new woman in his life he was talking about and they were kissing in the break room?

He brushed past Traci and I with a mumbled excuse may. Marlo just looked sheepish and walk out soon after with Traci and me standing there feeling stunned. I turned to Traci and she just shrugged and shook her head. She looked as confused and surprised as I felt.

I heard Chris calling my name to hurry up. I turned to Traci and said "We'll talk later."

I ran to catch up with Chris and decided to let him drive. There was a lot I needed to process and I couldn't drive while doing that.

I made chitchat with Chris about how he was doing. He was proudly talking about his son. I tuned him out as I thought about all I discovered this morning.

Sam Swarek became a detective. Wow I never expected that. He was proud of wearing the uniform and loved being out on the street. He lived for that rush and now he's voluntarily behind a desk? Had Sam changed that much while I was gone?

And that scene with that woman Cruz. What the hell? Sam was never about showing PDA; he was a little shy about stuff like that. The thing was seeing that kiss was awkward, they didn't look comfortable with each other, didn't feel natural.

I felt like I was in a twilight zone and nothing was the way I expected.

The day was kind of boring and I felt a little let down about it. What was the point of being back with just a boring day?

We got back to the station and when I looked for Traci I saw that she was busy. I had a feeling she wasn't leaving anytime soon. There was no point in me waiting around so I looked for Nick to see if he wanted to head for the Penny. I caught up with him and Gail as they were heading out, I wanted to tell him about Sam but didn't want to say anything in front of Gail. But once at the Penny there was no opportunity to talk to Nick alone.

Our table had Nick, Gail, Dov and Chloe the new girl aka the goddaughter. Dov looked uncomfortable having her there. He kept looking at the door like he was ready to bail.

So I decided to ask Dov if he was leaving any time soon and if it was ok if I caught a ride home with him. He seemed to jump at the chance and looked at me with gratitude.

I linked arms with him as we walked to his car and I asked what was up with him and the new girl.

"I did something dumb with her when I first met her and then I found out she's Frank's goddaughter. She said Frank can find a reason to fire me if he ever found about our one dumb mistake."

I had to laugh because Dov looked so miserable but goofy. I reassured him that he would be fine.

We chatted about all the changes at 15 until he stopped in front of my house. I sure had missed a lot and I was starting to feel left out.

I couldn't wait for my afternoon run with Traci, I hope she hadn't changed too much in the time I was gone.

I woke up bright and early the next morning, I was eager to run and get all this excess energy out. Traci and I met at the park near my house.

We ran for about 3 miles and then stopped to stretch by a row of benches.

"So you're back. What's it like?"

"I don't know. Same I guess. You know what's really cool? Sam's new girlfriend!"

"oh no…I didn't know"

"I figured as much when I saw the surprised look on your face. But he did tell me about her my second night back. I just didn't expect her to be a cop and from 15."

"Wait he did? You talked to Sam when you got back?"

"Yeah we actually had a serious talk. He apologized for how he treated me and asked if we would be civil towards each other."

"Oh wow I'm surprised. Swarek actually apologized! So what you think of his new girlfriend?"

"Well it's not like I know her and I have nothing against her."

"Oh please don't give me that bs."

"Ok ok…I'm a little upset and would've liked to have hurt someone but I'm the one who decided to let Sam go after he asked for a second chance. I've got no right to hold onto him."

"Wait wait hold up. He asked for a second chance? When did this happen? Girl you got some explaining to do!"

"The night I left for the task force. Sam said he loved me and said he would do everything for me until I gave him a second chance. He wanted me to meet him for a drink at the Penny that night but I left for the task force instead."

"Wow! So you left without letting him know?"

"Yeah I just wanted a clean break. I was given the perfect chance."

"Do you regret the decision?"

"Nah not really, it's something I needed to do."

We decided to table the discussion until we got back to my place. I opened a bottle of wine and we put together a simple pasta dish. When we sat down to eat we resumed out earlier converstation.

"So you and Swarek are completely done?"

"Yeah I think so."

"You sure? You guys have been love with each other for so long and I thought you two were perfect together. Take it from someone who will never have a second chance, grab hold of every moment you have. Swarek is here, he's alive. He was a complete jerk to you but I know you Andy and you haven't stopped loving him and I don't think he's stopped loving you."

"I don't know Trace. We've hurt each other too much. I didn't know how I was going to survive when he broke up with me. I can't just forget all that and act like it never happened."

"I'm sorry Andy I wasn't here for you during that. I feel so bad."

"Traci don't even think for a moment I held it against you. For heaven's sake you were grieving! The man you loved died so the last thing I expected was for you to worry about me."

Looks like Traci and I were getting right to the point. There was no point beating around the bush.

We talked things through and I realized Traci is still hurting. She's trying to figure out how to go on without Jerry. Outside her son, he was her life. I can't imagine dealing with loss like that, I remembered how much it hurt when Sam broke up with me but imagine having the one you love die.

We laughed and joked, she told me some funny stories that happened while I was gone. She filled me in on the gossip about Chris and Denise (many have doubts that the kid is his), about Oliver and Zoe trying to fix their marriage, Frank and Noelle's daughter and how everyone is making bets on when Frank will propose. She also filled me in on what she had heard about Marlo Cruz.

"Apparently she's been a cop for 8 years and was with SWAT for most of that time. She got hurt on some big hostage situation and decided to transfer out. Word on the street is she's hiding a secret past and she is a go-getter, eager to do her job. But I haven't had to work with her yet."

"I wonder how she and Sam met. That kiss between them looked so awkward and weird."

"OH MY GOSH! I thought the same exact thing. They make such an awkward couple. I think they're both fooling themselves. I don't think they'll last that long."

We speculated some more about their relationship. I'm glad Traci and I are on the same page.

Nothing beats hanging out with your best friend. My life may be confusing and I'm still trying to find my way but I'm so glad to have such great people around me.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam

I barely got any sleep the night before so now I'm dragging myself off to work while wishing I could've gotten at least an hour or two more. McNally comes back and my mind gets all twisted I get there I avoid everyone and hide out at my desk. I pop two aspirins and hope for the best.

Traci comes and just gives me a look before getting on with her work. Oh no its one of those scrutinizing looks. Wonder what I did now. Women! Sometimes I just don't get them. Maybe that's why it's better to just avoid them.

But it looks I won't be able to do that since McNally calls us out to a scene. So Traci and I arrive at a local hardware store that has two bodies, both of them been shot with a shotgun. Crime scene guys collect evidence while Traci and I talk to people in the neighborhood. Once we've taken statements we head back to the office.

Traci is on the phone trying to see if she can get an id for the two victims. McNally comes to tell us she found where the owner of the store lives. We need to go questions him ASAP.

"Wanna take a ride?" I ask McNally

"Sure but I'll drive."

Once in the car we both look ahead in awkward silence and so I start asking her questions about the guy we're about to go talk to.

"The owner's name is Brent Sayer. He's 35, Caucasian with dark hair, dark eyes, about 5'6''. Been arrested for robbery, assault and possession. Criminal with varying talents. He's owned the hardware store for about a year now. But from what the neighbors say there's been some interesting happenings at the store, they've all been suspicious but no one says anything because it's not the best of neighborhood. Everyone just tries to mind their own business."

We get to the address and its run down old apartment building. We head upstairs to unit 305. We knock but no response but there's a faint smell of smoke coming from inside.

"You smell that? Smells like something's burning"

McNally and I look at each other, draw our weapons and kick down the door.

The place is a pig sty. There on the coffee table was what looked like cocaine. We look for the source of smoke and find in the sink a pile of charred but smoking papers. It looked like someone was in a hurry to get rid of something. This means we must've missed whoever had been here by only a few minutes. Damn our timing sucks.

I tell Andy we need to find out if Sayer owns a vehicle and to put out an APB on it. As we go down the stairs, she says he owns a tan 1998 ford passenger van and reads out the plate number. As we turning down the street I tell Andy to slow, I see a tan van on my left side a street over. We make a turn and get close enough to see the plate and they match the ones that are registered to Sayer's van. All of a sudden the van comes to a stop and turns into our direction. Before we can even get out of the car, bullets start flying.

These idiots are shooting at us. McNally quickly opens her door and slides out and I'm right behind her.

We take cover on the side of the car.

"First shift with you and I'm already getting shot at."

"Yeah yeah you missed me."

I have to say I have missed her. There's no one else like McNally.

I just laugh as McNally calls for back up but it seems someone must've heard the gunshots and called the cops because we hear sirens heading in our direction.

The shooting has stopped and I look to see the two men from the van take off running. I help McNally up and we start running after them. We make a quick decision to split up and I take the guy that looks like Sayer. Luckily the idiot trips and I'm able to grab him up quickly. I read him his rights and quickly cuff him. I drag him along to the direction I saw McNally run and I see she's taking cover behind the side of the highway underpass as shots are being fired. The other suspect is crouched behind a car. As Sayer and I get closer to McNally I bullet whizzes right by me and so I quickly shove the guy behind one of the pillars and take out my gun to start shooting back. McNally looks back to me and I nod my head indicating for her to move in closer while I provide cover. Another squad car had arrived during all this and Diaz and Ollie are there to provide additional cover.

McNally manages to get close enough to shoot the suspect in the foot causing him to drop his gun.

I hand my suspect off to Diaz while I move along to where McNally is making the arrest. The guy she shot in the foot is screaming bloody murder and cursing at McNally.

We call the guy an ambulance and take Sayer back to the division. He's in a load of trouble.

When we question Sayer we finally manage to find out the guy has been selling drugs and weapons out of this store and there was a fight that broke out between two of his clients. He rolled on some guys he's been buying his merchandise from and I gotta say this guy is a piece of work.

After all this I sit down at my desk to get some paper work done. It's been a hell of a long day. But being out in the field with McNally made me realize nothing is working out the way I want it to. That girl still got me all twisted up, things I had thought I'd dealt with and there's no way I can be in another relationship without resolving all the confusion inside me.

Marlo is great and all but I've been thinking for months that if I get my life in order and just push McNally to back of my mind everything will work out. Boy was I wrong. I'm not ready for a relationship with anyone. I can deal with being single. I did it for over two years.

I need to talk to Marlo tonight. As I head out I look around for her and I find her sitting in one of the interrogation rooms looking miserable.

"Hey you ok?"

"Yah just been a really long day"

"It's more than that..."

"Just this guy that we picked up today. Some of things he said hit home and sometimes I wonder what I'm doing."

"Ah you're not the only one trust me. Look we really need to talk but I can see that this is not a good time."

"You wanna break it off don't you?"

"Ah…look lets save this talk for when you're in a better place."

"No…No…let's not drag this along. Sam you're a great guy but I don't think you're my guy. I think I recognized a bit of myself in you when we first met. We made to be friends not lovers. We're each other's safe choice. We both got some things we need to resolve and we thought pretending it was ok by getting into another relationship was the way to deal with it. But I think we both know that's not the solution. We're better off as friends."

"Look I'm sorry. You really are great. You're a strong woman and I admire you for that. You're right. I don't think either of us is ready for a relationship right now. I'm always here for you if ever need anything. Come on let me walk you to your car. One of these days you'll tell me your story. Everyone needs a friend they can rely on and talk to about the shit in their lives."

"One piece of advice Sam. You're a tough guy who has a hard time expressing his feelings and right now you're feelings are all over the place. Don't just move on without resolving any of it. You need to change, be more open. A woman doesn't want to be with a man who refuses to open up, especially a woman like McNally. I think with her it's all or nothing. She won't accept anything less than complete honesty."

"Thanks and remember if you ever need a friend…"

We walk out the door together and we stop in front of her car.

"Swarek I may take you up on that offer. Right now can you just give me a hug? I really need one after the day I've had."

I drop my gym bag and grab her to give her a tight hug. Whatever happened today plus our conversation has really taken a toll on her. There's a deep sadness etched all over her face and I can't help but give her an extra comforting squeeze. What I said is true, everyone needs someone to rely on and we both could use a friend right now.

I have some serious thinking to do. I don't wanna turn out like my dad, keeping everything bottled in and pushing away those who truly loved him and at the end dying alone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Andy**

I felt good about today. It felt like an accomplishment. I managed to work with Sam without making a fool out of myself. I was originally planning on getting Traci to come check out the suspect's apartment with me but of course the way my luck goes it ended up being Sam. We had some awkward moments but we were back to our regular footing where we worked well together as partners. It actually felt normal driving around in the squad car with Sam at my side. We may never go back to being what we were but I think we can move forward at least professionally. We may become somewhat friendly co-workers. I don't see it being too difficult to be around Sam and his new girlfriend at work.

That thought of being able to deal with Sam and his new girlfriend totally went out of my mind when I walked out to the parking lot after shift and saw them embracing. Well didn't they look cozy? I never got a hug out of Sam, especially when I needed it. Gad, maybe I can't face seeing them together, not just yet. The kiss was already too much and now this.

I quickly headed the other way before either of them could catch sight of me. As I headed back inside I bumped into Chris.

"Oops sorry didn't see you there. Heading to the Penny?"

"Nah I'm heading home. Denise has been with Christian all day and I figured I should head home to give her a break."

"Gosh Chris, I can't believe you're a dad! Got any pictures of the little guy?"

I can see that me asking about pictures was the right thing to do. He excitedly pulled out his phone and starting showing off some adorable pictures. I carefully scrutinized them to see if he resembled Chris. I felt guilty about it but I don't fully trust Denise. I mean she waited pretty long to tell him about this adorable little boy, she all of sudden waltz back into his life and tells him he's a dad.

"Have you made any decisions about what you want to do yet?"

"I'm still pretty undecided. I want Christian to grow up feeling safe and in a small town where every one knows each other. But I love working here and the people here. It's tough being a dad. You have to make the tough decisions and put your kid first."

"I don't really want you to leave. You're doing great here. There are tons of people who are raised up in the city like me who turn out just fine."

"I don't know Andy. It's all so confusing right now and Denise isn't making any of it easier. She hasn't found a job here yet and I think she gets frustrated sitting at home bored all day."

"I want to tell you forget about Denise but she's plays a factor in all this since she's the mother of your child. It's a hard decision to make and no one else can make it for you. I'm not in your shoes and can't tell you what to do. But I say follow your heart and do what you think is right. If you need any kind of help let me know, even just someone to talk things through."

He reached over and hugged me practically lifting me off my feet.

"Thanks so much Andy. I really do appreciate it. Thanks for not questioning my actions or making me doubt my intentions. I'm really glad I have a friend like you, I've missed you the past few months."

He offered to drop me off at the Penny on his way home and I decided to take him up on his offer. Talking to him helped relieve some of the tension. He asked about Sam and I gave him the best answer I could which was I trying my best to move on and just focus on work and my friends. Chris is a great guy and I hope Denise doesn't screw him over.

Walking in through the doors of the Penny, I took a deep breath and went in search of my friends. I saw a packed table with Gail, Nick, Traci, Dov, Chloe and Oliver. Gail and Nick appeared to be having some quiet argument while the rest were laughing at some story Oliver was telling. I grabbed a chair from a nearby table and plopped down next to Traci. I said my hellos with a bright smile.

"Officer McNally, nice of you to finally make an appearance. Thought Ms. Super-secret-undercover was too busy to hang out with us mere mortals. Now remain silent while I finish up my story."

"Sorry Officer Shaw didn't realize it was story time. Please continue."

"And now all I have to say is The End."

"haha thought I was interrupting your story, it seems you were finished."

"Well I needed to get my final line in didn't I?"

"With your stories the part where you say The End is usually the best part."

We all had a good laugh and it felt good to be here. I got Nick to drop me home since Gail had brought her own car. There was definitely trouble in paradise.

"Hey it looked like you and Gail spent most of the night deep in discussion or more like deep in disagreement. What's up?"

"God I don't understand that girl. I thought were fine and that things were back to normal but she keeps picking fights with me. Andy I don't know what to think, it likes two steps forward and one step back with her. Something isn't right but I can't figure out what it is."

"Have you tried talking to her about it? I mean point blank asking her what's wrong."

"Nah I figure I'll discover what it is eventually. I mean I just got back and I just wanna enjoy spending time with her. I'm not ready to deal with drama right now. I've missed her. I just want things to be normal and not complicated."

Gah are all men so stupid? The guy knows something isn't right but instead of talking to his girlfriend about it he decides to just ignore it. I decide to just drop it and decide it's between him and Gail. They have a complicated relationship that I can't even begin to try and comprehend. Sometimes a friend knows to back off and let the person decide for themselves.

I crawl into bed after my shower and my thoughts come back to Sam once again. I make myself a promise. I'm gonna try my best to be civil around Sam and Cruz. They're both in superior positions to me and its best not to antagonize that professional standing. I'll act cool and collected, like it doesn't bother me.

Tomorrow is another day, another opportunity to make a difference.

I wake up with a strong resolution to enjoy my day and be the best police officer I can possibly be. I have a great life, I love my job and I have some great friends. What more can a girl ask for.

I grab hold of my resolution to treat Cruz with professional curtsey when I discover I'm riding with her for the day. Once again fate has chosen to be cruel. I knew I'd have to eventually ride with her but couldn't a few weeks have passed before it had to happen.

Of course she insists of driving, her and Sam are perfect for each other.

Our first job of the day is to find a suspect in a home invasion case. I've already written up a few places to look for him and turn to tell Cruz when she says that we're going to go look at some locations starting with the girlfriends house, where the suspect may possibly be hiding out, the same locations I had on my list. She doesn't even ask if I have any suggestions and I of course feel compelled to argue against her actions even though I had the same idea as her. Looks like there goes my resolution out the window.

We spent the ride arguing over this until we reach the first location on her list (which happens to be first on my list as well). It's the suspect's girlfriend's place and of course the idiot is hiding out there. Cruz has a smirk on her face as we load the guy into the car. I wanna shout at her I had to same idea all along but now I can't since I childishly decided to argue instead of telling her "great plan, it's what I was going to suggest we do as well." But no I didn't do that so know she thinks she's smarter than me.

After we book the guy, we head back out to patrol the streets. We stopped for lunch at a drive-thru and ate at the park nearby. This limited our interaction with each other.

As soon as we finished lunch, we got a call about a robbery in progress. It's at the National Trust Bank. There's report of an armed, masked man robbing the bank.

"Let's go McNally. We gotta be sharp about this."

She had me seething. Did she think I was some stupid rookie? I had rant in my head about officers who thought they were superior.

"Here's what we'll do. National trust is a small bank and dispatcher says there is only one robber inside. I'll take the back entrance and you'll take the front. Keep the suspect distracted while I sneak in through the back."

We pull up in the front and without thinking I charge in. The customers and employees are all lying face down while the suspect is standing there with a gun pointed at one of the tellers and I tell the suspect to drop his weapon and put his hands up.

He turns around to look at me and then suddenly grabs the terrified teller. Oh shit.

"I want you to back up and head back out the door. I'll let her go once I've gotten the money and into my car, you won't try and stop me understood?"

The suspect sounded really nervous and I can tell he was trembling. His eyes kept darting behind me towards the big windows.

I see Cruz from the corner of my eye sneaking up behind the suspect and she gets close enough to hold the gun to his head.

"Drop the weapon before I blow your head off."

The suspect realizes he's got no choice but to do as she asked. He drops his gun and brings his hands behind his head. Cruz cuffs him and pushes him towards me.

"McNally place the suspect in the car and call for backup."

What Cruz and I hadn't noticed and what hadn't been reported was the gunshot victim lying on the floor. It appears the man who had been shot was the security guard. The suspect we had in custody was just a kid, he looked so young.

Oliver and Nick had arrived at the scene as well to help with crowd control, there were a lot of people gathered around the bank to watch and gawk. I saw a couple of news crews arriving as well.

Soon the detectives arrive to ask the witnesses questions. Of course one of the detectives had to be Sam.

There was a twist, according to witnesses the suspect we had in custody was not the one who shot the security guard. There had been another guy with the suspect but he had gotten a phone call and stepped outside to answer it. He must've seen Cruz and I pull up and taken off. The question now was who was he and where did he go.

The witnesses said both suspects came in nervous and twitchy. The guy who shot the security guard was sweating profusely and his hands kept shaking. He shot the security guard for no reason but looked like he didn't want to. They both seemed nervous about the phone call they had received. Witnesses got the impression the other suspect was an older guy.

This all made me think there was something not right about this whole situation. The suspects almost seemed like they didn't want to be robbing the bank and shooting the security guard seemed so random and unnecessary.

When Sam pulled Cruz and me aside to give our statements, I expressed my doubt.

Cruz just gave me an incredulous look.

"McNally there's nothing to doubt here. Two suspects came in deciding to rob the bank. One of them went a little gung-ho and shot the security guard. Of course they were nervous, they were robbing a bank. Maybe one of them got a call from his wife or mother asking where he was. I'd be nervous if my mother called me while I was robbing a bank", Cruz said to me.

I looked at Sam and said "Sam you know something isn't right here. I think there's more to the story than meets the eye."

"McNally I'm sure what we have here is a typical bank robbery. Things got a little out of hand and one the suspects was a little trigger happy. Maybe he's never handled a gun before and didn't expect it to go off so easily. Let's not jump to conclusions, get the suspect we have in custody back to the division and question him. Maybe he'll lead us to his partner. I don't want to make any judgments calls without having all the evidence in order"

I couldn't believe that Cruz and Sam weren't taking me seriously. When did Sam wait to have all the evidence, he's the first one to listen to and go with his gut. My gut was telling me something was wrong. I headed over to talk to Traci and see if she agreed with me. It seemed Sam was going to side with his precious Cruz.

But of course no one else was too sure of my theory that there was more this robbery and that it seemed like these guys didn't want to rob the bank. I even tried convincing Nick of it but he wasn't convinced either. So I decided to wait till after the suspect in custody was questioned.

That ended up being a dead end since once we got him into the interrogation room he sat silently not answering any of the questions. It was so frustrating.

The wallet he was carrying said his name was David Newton, 20 and lived in a near-by residential area. I dug into his background and found out he lives his parents and 5 year sister. He's a college student majoring in Engineering and appears to come from a good home. He's never been in trouble before and from what I heard from his college advisor the kid is really smart and doing great in school. His parents both have good jobs and they're what you would call a regular middle class family. Nothing stands out that screams bank robber.

I got approval to go check out the residence and Sam ended up coming with me. I was still annoyed that Sam didn't take me seriously so I stayed silent the whole ride. Once we pulled up in front of the residence Sam turned to me and said, "McNally listen, I do not doubt you. Marlo has more experience and her assessment is that this is a straight forward robbery gone wrong. I have to kind of agree with her on that but I trust your instincts. I'm not a 100% sold on your idea that they didn't want to commit this robbery but I'm willing to explore that possibility. You're a good cop with decent instincts. I'll admit it doesn't hurt to look at this case from all perspectives especially since the suspect isn't talking. He just looks plain scared."

"Thanks Sam, that's all I'm asking for."

What Sam just said to me is a relief. It was all I needed, that he was willing to believe in me. We both got out of the squad car and headed up to the front door. I rang the doorbell while Sam tried peeking through the windows. There was no answer so Sam decided to head around one side while I went around the other. I peeked in the windows as we went along and saw no movement. As I was turning the corner towards the back yard I heard Sam calling my name. He was waiting at the back door with his gun drawn.

"There's blood on the kitchen floor. Call it in and then we'll have to go in. As I called it in, Sam kicked down the back door. We walked in to see blood smeared along the floor like someone had been dragged. Thankfully it wasn't too large of an amount of blood. There was a chair with ropes around it like someone had been tied up recently. We quickly checked the rest of the house and found it empty.

Soon the place was sealed as a crime scene and we headed back to the division to once again question David.

Sam, Cruz, Traci and I stood with Frank in the viewing room going over our strategy. I figured Cruz and Sam would go back in to question him when Sam surprised me by saying, "Boss I think McNally should question him. She has some theories about this case and I think she should talk to him. I have a feeling what she suspects will get him to open up."

I don't know who was more surprised Frank, Traci, Cruz or me. We all looked at Sam with our mouths hanging open and a surprised look on our faces. Sam just smirked at all of us and opened the door to the viewing room and pushed me out gently.

I stood outside the interrogation room and just took a deep breath. What Sam just did was so surprising but touching as well. He may have doubted me at first and is still not completely on board with my theory but he believed in my instincts and in me. I feel an overwhelming sense of pride, happiness and thankfulness. Sam truly thought I was capable of doing this and I'm going to go in there and prove him right. Take that Cruz! I'm the best partner he ever had!

I sit down in front of David and just look at him. He's a scared kid who is trying his best to hold himself together.

"David, my name is Andy. For now don't saying anything. I just want you to listen. Ever since we arrested you earlier I've had my doubts about the scenario at the bank. You don't have a criminal record and from what I've managed to dig up you're a good kid. You're a college student majoring in Engineering. You're doing really well, a straight A student. We went by your house today and discovered blood on the kitchen floor like someone has been dragged out. Here's what I think. I don't think you wanted to do this robbery, I think you were forced into it. And I think it has something to do with your family. They threatened your family and I think your accomplice was your dad. He fits the description given by the witnesses. How am I doing so far?"

I could tell I hit the right mark because his face was so expressive and he started crying uncontrollably.

"They're gonna kill my mom and Kayla."

"Who is going to kill them David? I need you to help me and we'll do everything to help you get your family back."

He wiped his face with his sleeves and took a few gulping breaths.

"Last night I had class all day and I got home pretty late. But the lights were all out at the house and that never happens. My parents always leave the front light on for me when they know I'm coming home late. So at first I thought power failure but when I opened the door, everything was eerily quiet. I tried the light switch and realized it work. So I started to get worried. I quickly went up the stairs to my parent's room and found it empty and then I checked Kayla's room, it was empty too. I checked my phone and I hadn't gotten any calls from them. So my first thought was maybe a car accident and they were at hospital unable to call me. I went back down to the kitchen to check if there were any messages on the house answering machine and that's when I saw my dad tied up in a chair and blood on the floor. He'd been beaten pretty badly. I quickly untied my dad and started to call the police when my dad stopped me. Three guys had broken into the house, tied dad up and took Kayla and mom. They would return them if my dad robbed the National Trust bank and killed Rob Willows the security guard. They said if we involved the cops, they would kill Kayla first and then mom. Dad was so scared but he knew the layout of National Trust since he designed the building."

I told David to stop when I heard a knock on the door. Sam came in with a glass of water and a box of tissues. He set them on the table and gave my shoulder a squeeze as he left. I handed the water to David.

"Everything is going to be ok David. We'll do everything to find your sister and mom. Go on with your story."

"The three guys left us the masks and guns along with a picture of the security guard. There was also a paper with details on what shift the security guard would be working and how many employees would be there. We were so nervous, my dad thought about calling the cops but then we got a phone call this morning saying they were watching our every move and if we called the cops they would kill Kayla. They left a box with a swatch of Kayla's hair this morning outside the front door. He was going to do the whole thing alone but I couldn't let him. So we drove to National Trust this morning and dad managed to get it done but after he shot the security guard he got a call from one of the kidnappers. He stepped outside to take it and guess he didn't come back in when he saw you guys. He said if I was caught to find someone I could trust and tell them everything. You looked like someone I can trust. Please help me, I'm really scared. Now I don't know where my dad is either."

I reached out and squeezed his hands. This poor kid had been through hell and I'm glad I went with my gut. I signaled to those in the viewing room and soon Sam and Traci came back in to ask questions. I stayed with David the whole time. The poor kid had a death grip on my hands.

Sam gave me nod of approval as he left the room. I left David in the interrogation room telling him I'll back with something to eat. We needed to find his family ASAP.

As I walked out of the room, I found Sam, Frank, Traci and Cruz waiting for me.

"Good job McNally." Frank stated.

Traci apologized for not taking my theory seriously and Cruz even gave me look of respect.

"Kid I'm sorry, I think I miss judged you. Good job!"

We sent someone to get David food while the rest of us formulated a plan to finding David's family. We needed to see what the crime scene guys found.

I feel good. Today turned out better than I expected. Cruz and I may not be best friends but she proved that she is willing to accept when she's wrong and Sam proved he believed in me even when he had doubts. I kicked ass today! I proved myself as a cop today. I may not be happy about seeing Sam and Cruz together but that doesn't mean I'll let it show.


End file.
